This summer, I will be hosting and coaching the very first SLAM! Pro Wrestling Boot Camp 2020, just in time for the market to free up enough from the COVID-19 restrictions that participation will be possible and legal.

We have a superb training hall reserved in the Hannus suburb of Espoo, Finland, right beside Helsinki. The place is located beside Länsiväylä motorway and public transport by bus takes you right beside our training hall. In addition, a huge, new Lidl food store is next to our establishment and Iso Omena shopping center, voted the top shopping mall in Finland not too long ago, is only 1km away.

This summer, under the auspices of Yours Truly, you will be able to apply yourself to learning all aspects of the grappling game inside the squared circle: from chain wrestling and submissions, to bumps and falls, to ring positioning and rope work, to throws and lifts, to character presence and mic skills, and beyond… you will be able to learn the ins and outs of the world of professional wrestling from one of the masters (even if I say so myself), and the most highly-acclaimed professional wrestler in Northern European history: “The Rebel” StarBuck.

Folks, I have taught talents now since 2003 in seven different countries: Japan, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Russia. Many of my students have gone on to wrestle extensively abroad all around the world. The lessons you will learn from me are lessons passed down from the old school, where fundamentals and realism are key.

StarBuck teaching a wrestling camp in Denmark 2014, with participants from 4 countries.

If you would like to be a part of this groundbreaking opportunity in Finland, hit me up at info@slamwres.com and tell why you would like to be involved in this intensive summer course. Be sure to attach a recent photo full-body of yourself and prepare to train twice weekly for the next three months, every Monday and Thursday night.

This is your chance… grasp for the brass ring and make it count!!!

Get ready for the real deal, this is true-grit, honest, world-class pro wrestling coaching!

As many of you possibly already know, I am also a personal trainer in addition to being a rock musician, pro wrestler, voice-over speaker and artist. A jack of many trades, indeed! The Good Lord blessed me with several talents, and thereby I am able to parlay my knowledge and aptitude across many waters, so to speak.

For 12-years now, I have been a personal trainer. My oldest client has been 85-years of age and my youngest client has been 14-years old. All across the proverbial board, I have trained folks from all walks of life, from beauty queens competing in Miss-What-Have-You pageants to athletes to ordinary folks both male and female. Interestingly enough, the majority of my clients have been women, as I guess the ladies feel more at home with a man in charge! But alas, that is A-OK with me!

Miss Estonia Kristina Karjalainen is one of the known celebrities that I have trained.

Nonetheless, now, here in 2016, I decided to take my personal training aptitude and expertise to the next level. I wanted to up the proverbial ante and really immerse myself in the field, in order to offer a more comprehensive whole to my clientele, especially in light of the total deluge of personal training services these days, many of which should not even exist if the truth be told. There is a definitive difference in understanding physiology and muscular function vs. taking a said course on the matter and just going by what theory has taught you.

I have lived through a 22-year pro wrestling career full of all kinds of injuries and physical setbacks. I have learned to navigate through the murky waters of limitations and pain, due to the realities suffered in my chosen sport. In so saying, I understand the body better than most. It’s an intuitive kind of knowledge that comes through personal experience and application of varied training and reparation principles, when working through and around injuries. Thereby, I have a more comprehensive understanding of human physiology that I can use to my benefit, and for the benefit of others.

(Left to right) Yours Truly, Harri Kokkonen, Ivo Gonzalez

This past weekend, I ventured out to Hamina, Finland, along with my personal training comrade Ivo Gonzalez, to get my PhD in personal training with a man that is known all around the Baltics as a guru for strength training, powerlifting, weightlifting and bodybuilding. This man is named Harri Kokkonen. He is the owner of SKIP Nutrition Finland (SKIP is the oldest sports supplement manufacturer in all of Europe, a pharmaceutical grade line of the highest market quality available today, which I am proud to be sponsored by), Gorilla Wear Finland (since 1982, straight out of the USA, my personal gym gear of choice and also my sponsor) and Voimapuoti Gym in Helsinki and Hamina, Finland.

I am a Gorilla Wear sponsored athlete, baby! The best training gear on the market. (photo: Jarmo Katila – http://www.jarmokatila.fi)

Ivo and I went to Harri to fine-tune our knowledge of the nitty-gritty details that make all of the difference in the world, when it comes to targeting each specific muscle to the maximum, taking into consideration the nuances and idiosyncrasies that either make or break any given lifting technique. I am two days removed from that merciless immersion into personal training, and let me tell you, my nervous system has yet to recover from the muscular overload that Harri put us through! These are 100% guaranteed techniques, when performed stringently and properly, that will absolutely develop the body beyond prior limitations either imagined or real!

The angle of one’s wrists… the line of movement in relation to the targeted muscle… the implications of the supported core muscles in all movements… time under tension… all of these bullet points and more were covered by Harri, as he passed on his vast array of knowledge and expertise to us.

I feel that this past weekend was a major boon personally to my applied knowledge of physiology and the human body, as they pertain to muscular development and total fitness and conditioning. I can honestly say, that I am a better personal trainer, having already applied my learned knowledge with a client yesterday, than I was prior to this weekend.

I will be starting my own personal training business this month, which will be launched shortly, where I will apply the lessons learned in my time in pro wrestling, integrated with traditional weight training, bodyweight conditioning and cross-training. Keep your peepers peeled for that!

Ivo Gonzalez, who has a vast amount of experience in competitive athletics and is a men’s fitness physique competitor, and myself, being a 22-year pro wrestling veteran with coaching experience worldwide, have begun working as the official personal training duo for Voimapuoti Gym in Helsinki, as of this month. Voimapuoti is a traditional weight training gym, not a health club. Voimapuoti’s fundamental offering is found in free weights, a variety of different barbells, powerlifting apparatus, and traditional back-to-basics weight training equipment, because let’s face it… a real, strong, powerful body is made by application of fundamental truths that are based on free weights and body control. We sell results, not pipe dreams.

I thought to write a breakdown of the things I witnessed from a coaching perspective at FCF Wrestling’s Jatkosota 2015 event in Helsinki this past weekend. Since many people don’t really understand the nature of the beast that is professional wrestling, maybe this will help to shed some light on the game, and folks just might be able to grasp how incredibly demanding the sport is on so many levels.

In the opener tag match which I was a part of, I was really impressed with the physical aggression of King Kong Karhula, who tagged with Pyöveli Petrov. The big man is undoubtedly at the top of his game right now after spending 10 years in the sport to date, as his timing is impeccable, every single move and all of his execution is full-out and in-pocket. He has all the bases covered: the character, the charisma and the ring skills. I would be surprised if WWE didn’t take a serious look at this guy in the very near future. The way Karhula brutalized my tag team partner Sly Sebastian in our tag match made me feel sorry for little Sly. Mean and nasty in the ring, Karhula is one to watch for, and promoters in Europe should seriously consider booking him, regardless of the financial struggles that most of the continent has been facing for quite some time already.

The Beast’s power displays in his match against Jessica Love were impressive, to say the least. Especially catching Jessica’s top rope crossbody and turning it into a jackhammer in one fell swoop for the winning pinfall was a thing to behold. This big man is developing at an alarming pace, and he is another one that WWE should be keeping their eyes on, and dismantling fan favorite Jessica Love gives The Beast major momentum right now.

The hunger, spark and fire shown by young newcomers Jami Aalto and Joey Impact was a thing of beauty to behold in their match against Stark Adder and Ricky Vendetta. You can really see that these two rookies ”want it.” They want to grasp the brass ring and make a real impression on the fans, in their quest to become stars in this grappling game. Both Aalto and Impact showed incredible drive, heart and passion as they gutsily fought the experienced duo of Adder and Vendetta, who are the most cohesive unit in FCF Wrestling today and one mean team. I predict a bright future for these kids. Keep it up!

After suffering a brutal beating at the hands of ”Wildman” Heimo Ukonselkä, Mikko Maestro faces a transition akin to that undergone by Kurt Angle somewhere around the year 2000. Angle was a comedy wrestler in WWE at the time, and in his feud with Triple H, he had to step it up and find his serious game face. Maestro simply cannot continue as a light-hearted, fun guy after the way Heimo abused him. He will have to find the reserves deep down to become more that what he is now, if he hopes to stand toe-to-toe with Ukonselkä. Now is the time for Mikko Maestro to change his game.

Mikko Maestro brutalized by Heimo Ukonselkä (Photo: Mats Havia 2015)

The triple threat tag team match between HC Andersen & Robert Holmström, The Luupää Brothers and Murskaaja Mieto & Tohtori Ioni had one competitor outshine everyone. Vili Luupää showed the kind of timing, fire and fluidity in his hot tag comeback, that I have last seen Daniel Bryan do something similar when he was feuding with The Shield in WWE a couple of years back. I really have to give props to Vili Luupää, who is another one grasping for the elusive brass ring right now.

The women’s triple threat match was short and sweet, but the girls really showed some pizzazz and spice while they were in there. For a long time, pro wrestling has been coined ”the grunt and groan game”, and one thing that matches must have is audibles and noise (since no one likes to watch sports or movies with the sound turned off). Julia Kyy (main audibles here and best character presence overall), Sara Elektra and newcomer Regina really put in a spirited effort for the few minutes that they had, before Robert Holmström interjected himself in the match and drew the kind of heat from the audience that borders on being criminal. Holmström has that ”asshole” kind of quality to his ring character that people find easy to hate, and it should be interesting to see how he fares against the girls, because that seems to be his intergender modus operandi now.

France’s Jimmy Gavroche and FCF champion Valentine had one of the best pure wrestling matches that I have seen in a long, long time. I felt that Gavroche really pushed Valentine to his fullest potential and visa versa. It’s a thing of beauty to see the marquee done right, and the name on the marquee reads ”wrestling.” Tight ring work, well-paced and holding solid match psychology, this was a worthy main event. Gavroche has great fire and body language and I can understand why it is easy for the audience to get behind him, even if he is a foreign wrestler coming in against one of FCF’s own. There were so many false finishes in this match that it kept everyone on the edge of their seats. It was really something to see live, which is exactly how professional wrestling should be enjoyed. Big props to both men for an incredible effort. I also have to state, that I was really taken aback at how the fans responded to The Beast coming out after the match to stare down Valentine, as the audience erupted into a completely spontaneous ”Beast is gonna kill you!” chant that continued even after The Beast left the ring and went to the back. There’s something very volatile brewing here!

Be sure to come out for the next FCF Wrestling event in Porvoo, Finland on June 5 at the city’s #URBCULT happening, as there is nothing quite like the live experience that the game provides. Take a look at this fantastic video to see exactly what I’m talking about and we hope to see you next time!

It was early February this year when an impressive brute of a man from Sweden came to me for training. His name was Daniel Atterhagen, and at 1,92m tall and weighing 115kg, he was a former Gladiator (the TV show) and now he was in the process of changing lanes in his life. He wanted to become a professional wrestler.

The Beast has a mean game face.

Nicknamed “The Beast”, Daniel undertook to my coaching like a fish to water, learning incredibly fast. In a matter of mere days, I could already see that this guy was going to become something special in the world of pro wrestling.

Daniel already had a background in submission wrestling prior to coming to me for professional schooling, sent by STHLM Wrestling promoter Chris Sahlgren. He even took the bronze medal in the Swedish national submission wrestling championships in December 2014. His MMA career saw him go to the time limit with Sweden’s most prized MMA export, Alexander Gustafsson of UFC fame, only to lose by judge’s decision.

The Beast made his professional wrestling debut outside of his native country here in Finland at FCF Wrestling’s biggest annual flagship event, Talvisota IX, on February 7 this year in Helsinki. It was there, that after a very brief initial schooling period, he already took and demolished his opposition in a handicap 2-on-1 match. From there, Daniel went on to lay waste to the opposition in Sweden mere weeks later, further impressing in his young pro wrestling career.

With less than five pro matches under his belt, The Beast was already touted as the “next big thing” out of Sweden, with the explosiveness of Goldberg and the game face of Ken Shamrock, garnering the attention of the world’s premiere pro wrestling monolith, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Can you believe that?!? I think the pro wrestling world should be taking notice.

The coach and the protege.

And so it is, that Daniel “The Beast” Atterhagen will get his WWE tryout at the O2 Arena in London, England this coming weekend on April 18-19. I have never had a student in all of my years in the pro wrestling industry whom I have coached, who has risen as fast as The Beast and gotten a WWE tryout in the same short time.

I have to say that I am proud of Daniel for the effort, commitment and determination that he has put in after changing lanes in his personal life and choosing the new path of pro wrestling.

Now is your chance to go claim the big one. Make it count!

The Beast knocked out rookie Make Smooth at Talvisota with this chokeslam.